Fort Thomas or St. Thomas Fort or Fortaleza de São Tomé, also known as Tangasseri Fort, is a ruined fort located in the beach town of Tangasseri on the shores of the Arabian Sea in the city of Kollam, Kerala, India. It is located around from the city center of Kollam and from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

History

Tangasseri was associated with the Chinese trade from the first millennium AD and later colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch and the British to become the "gold village". According to Historians, Captain Rodriguez came to Quilon and was appointed as the captain of the factory and trade, with permission from the queen. St.Thomas Fort (once known as Fortaleza de São Tomé) was built by the Portuguese under Afonso de Albuquerque for the protection of the newly developed trade. In 1505 the Portuguese established a trading port here, and in 1518 established its sovereignty through the construction of Fort St. Thomas. Later in 1661 the town and the fort were handed over to the Dutch who made it the capital of Dutch Malabar. The Dutch occupied the fort for several years. In 1795, the British East India Company took possession of the fort. In 1823 Fort St. Thomas accepted a lease by Travancore from the British government for a period of twenty years.

The fort formed part of a wider European settlement landscape at Tangasseri. An early twentieth-century survey recorded two cemeteries on the headland nearby, separated by the road towards the former flagstaff, with an old belfry standing in one of the burial grounds.

Fort St. Thomas was originally around tall. Today, the little remains of the fort, popularly known as "Tangasseri fort" remain facing the beach. At present, the fort is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Architecture and remains The original Portuguese fort was designed as a coastal defensive work with three towers and four bastions, with its entrance facing the sea. Much of the structure was subsequently destroyed, and the surviving remains include portions of the fort wall, an arched gateway and the foundations of its towers.

Access The nearest major transport links are Kollam Junction railway station and the Kollam KSRTC bus station, both about from the fort. Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is approximately away.

Gallery

References

External links

"Mining rampant at Tangasseri fort" "Tangaserri a brief history"